Feeding mechanism



` Od. 1930. M; o.' JONES ET AL 1,779,816

FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Oct. 5, 1928 2 Shee/tS-Sheet l Oct. 28, 1930. M. o. JoNEs ET AL FEEDING MECHANI SM Filed oct. 3, 1928 2' sheets-Sheet 2 I l v J vf xl L l Patented Oct. 28, 1930v l .MONTGOMERY osBonNE JoNnsAIvn WESLEY r3.1 SIIQMKAK, or ItICIIIvIonl),l v InGINI,' AssIGNoRsiTo THE DUPLEX Elevators co.` Inc;7 or ;RICHIYIOND, VIRGINIA, Aeon;

PoRATIoN or VIRGINIA- FEEDING IanrIAnIsIvI Application med, october 3, 192s. saisine. 'de ipao.

`This invention relates to mechanism for feeding sheets, envelopes or other `articles of" paper-and pertains particularly to feeding mechanism for a rotaryy printing press designed forY operating on successively presented sheets 'or envelopes. v

In certain types of feeding mechanisms for prlntlng presses the sheetsor envelopes are Vstacked in a hopper, vthe discharge end of which slopesk downwardly and the .stack isy supported by inwardly projecting tabs engag- V ing the bottom envelope or sheet. The boti sheets or envelopes, the bottom one issup a printing press withoutcrumpling or -buckp line of vthearticle.'`

i sof tom envelopeor sheet` is vwithdrawn from the hopper through the medium of a :suction block'which is cause-d to move toward and away from the same.v In the case of wide ported by tabs engaging the middle portion of thelonger edges vas well as the ends.: Under'su'ch circumstances itis ydesirable to pull thel envelope or sheet lsubstantially parallel to theaXis of the stack, otherwise the tab en-v gaging the middle portion of theedge 4of the sheet or envelope'is apt to turn back theedge,

operation.

withdrawing sheets or envelopes or the like from the bottom of a stack of the same and presenting said articles to the feed rollers of Vther objects, 'novel features and advan# tages of this'inventionwillbe apparent from the'fo'llowing specification and accompanying drawings wherein:` f i Fig; l"1s a side elevation ofI a feeding mechanism embodying `the invention,`

Fig.y 2 is a plan viewl thereof, i VLFigLB is a section on the line.3-3v of Fig. 2;

' Fig. 4 is a section on the line'4-4 of Fig.

3 and Y Y Fig. 5 is a perspective view of adetailof theV apparatu 3 The rotaryprinting press with which the feeding mechanism is used designated by the referencev character 10-'and' is lprovided with a pair ,of feed rollers` 11. 12 designates aA magazineforl envelopes or the like which crumple the envelope andfpreve'nt normall rollers 11 'and is are to be! fed to the press,v the magazinebeing .f f y,

shown phantom as it does notl constitute a part'of the invention. n A e A` frame y13 is attached to thefprinting press l0 by'bolts 14 andlbrace rods 15.' YThe shaftl is supported on a bracketfarried by the frame 13 and'c'arries at oneend afspro'cket i i l 17 which is `driven from "the printing'press through themedium offtheehain 18;" O n the'isliaft 15 is mounted abox cam'19 in the groove 2O ofwhich'is received "a rollerf21 mountedv on an arm 22"having`a forked end within which is received the shaft S16.' In

the other endvof therarm 22 is provide-d a. pin i bracket 24 pivoted to theframe-13.- "LA/pair of arms-26 are mounted on the pin 23 and a fr'ame'13.,v4 A feed plate 35 isjpositioned .to *An object of this invention is an improved, efficient and simpleV feeding mechanism for supp'ortan article to be'd'elivered'to the feed i Y providedb-with yslots 36 through'which thesuctionfblocks 28 may move vertically; t

In the operation ofthe machine the suction a bar '27 extends across theends ofsucharms. i

blocks are' movedupwardly intocontact kwith v the Ybottomenvelope orthe like in the magazine 12"and by means off'a" valveV (notshown) Y the suction blocksare connected v through the pipe 29a' with a suction 'producing mecha-.

- nismz The Vsuctiony blocksare. then 'moved' Y downwardly Carryingwith them'the envel-V f Y ope. This downward movement VcontinuesV y'untilthe top of the Vsuction blocks is flush with the feed plate 35 and the'edges ofthe envelope rest up'on'such plate. The'suction is then cutoff and the envelope re-leased after which the envelope is pushedbetween the feed rollers bymeans later to lbe described. Different `positions assumed by they suction blocks are indicated in Fig.\3.V The movement of the 'suction blocks is 'effected bymeans of the cam 19', roller`211and arm 22. The arm 22- is moved upwardly and downwardly by the cam and causes oscillationof the bracket 24. Oscillation of the bracket causes vertical movement of the arms 26 and bar 27 which carries the suction blocks. The link 32 serves to guide the suction blocks along an arc of sufficiently slight curvature that they move vsubstantially parallel to the axis of the stack While withdrawing the envelope, whereas the bracket and arms vcause oscillation of the blocksalternately to present theirfupper faces .y

flush' with the feed plate and with the bottom envelope of the stack. Y p

A carrier 40 is slidably mounted on the frame and is provided with a rack 41 which meshes with a segmental gear 42 carried by" theshaft 43. An arm 44 is mounted on the shaft 43 and to the end of this ,arml is connected one end of a linkf46, the other end,` l of which is connected to a crank pin 47'carried by the gear 48. Rotation of this gear edects oscillation of Vthe shaft y4,8 thereby causing reciprocation of the carrier `40.

A pair of arms 5,0 Vare pivotally supported on the carrier`40 `by means of the rod50"-.

At oneqend of thesev arms `are yadjustably mounted abutmentsbl which project downwardl-y for the purposeof engaging thel edge ofv an enveloperesting on the feed 'plate 35.

' VThese abutifnent's'are spaced somewhat from, vthe ends of thearms 50 so that portions thereof overlap.. an envelope on the plate 35;

.g-carrier moves forwardly,rthe yfrontends of the arms graduallydrop.- The movement isf such that the front ends of the zarms project overan envelope 0n the plate .3,5 and then as they move forward the also move downwardly so thatwhen the a utments 51 strike the-edge ofthe envelope .the vfront ends of thearms rest upon the envelope Aand prevent crumpling of the lsame whenitfis beingir movedgforward ftoward the .feed rollers furtherfmovement of the .'carrier.

Guide lfingers 55 are pivotally mounted Jacent the plate 36 and co-operate therewith in? holdinglthe envelopes smoothl while lbeing,

moved forward toV the feed, rollers.-r ,"Ihese fingers are-intermittently lifted inthe usual manner bymechanism notshovvngto avoid interference with an envelope on 'the suction blocksl While being transferred from the magazine to the plate 36. Z l y `We claimzl.. In a deviceof thecharacter describedg apivoted bracket, an ;arm,.having one, end pivotally connectedto said bracket, a suction block carriedgby said arm,a link having one end pivotally lconnected kto said arm and thev other end pivotally connected to a stationary member and means vfor oscillating said bracket.

2. In a device of the character described, a pivoted bracket, an arm having one end tion block carried by said arm, a 'link'having one end pivotally connected to said arm and the other end pivotally/ connected to a stationary member and Ameans ijncl-udinigj cam for imparting oscillatory ymovementY to j said bracket. v '5* 3. In adevice ofthe character described, a pivoted bracket, :an larm having one end pivotal'ly connected to'said bracket, a suction block `carried by Ysaid arm, .a link having one end lpivotally connected to vsaid yarm and 'pivotaliy connected to said bracket, a sucy the :other end yp ivotallyccfinnected to 'a sta-- tionary member, a. second arm'having one.

end connected to said bracket, a vcam and` aj cam follower supported by 4said second arm in operative relationship to said cam.,

4. In a device of thecharacterdescribed, a pivoted bracket, an: arm,'.a )in connecting. oneend of said arm to .saidVv racketa suction block carried by said arm, a link having one end ypivotally connected Ato `said. arml andv the other end to a stationary member, ansecy ond arm .mounted -on lsaid pin,l a cam and a cam follower on said second arm opera tively associated with said cam. 'Y

5. In adevice of the characterdescribed, a suction block,'fa bracket rotatably supported by one end andpivotally supportingasuction block at the other end, a link rotatably mount.- ed at one endpivotally connected to said suctionblockand means kto oscillat'e said'bracket.

6. In a device of the character described, an oscillatable picker, afreciprocating carrier, means toy-reciprocate. the .same toward Vand away from the path of said picker, a pusher pivotally mounted ion said carrier,.a station'- varyfguideplate having a-curvedzslot andapln e extending vfrom said pusher into 'said `slot whereby reciprocation of the carriage edects oscillation of the pusher. l Y e .7. .In adeviceof the characterdescribed, an' oscillatablepicker, a reciprocating carrier, means to reciprocate the same toward and away from thepath of said picker,fa pairfof arms ,pivotallymounted on said carrier, abutme'nts vcarried by" said arms adjacentone endj thereof, a.y stationary plate vhaving a` curved slot, a rod connecting-the other ends of said arms and arranged-.in said slot.

8. Ine a deviceof the character described, an oscillatable suction block,.a carrier, apusher pivotally mounted on said carrier, said carrier being slidable to moveone end of sai'dpusher into and out of the path of the suction. block, meansnto' oscillate said suction block and-reciprocate said carrier, and meanstoeffect 'oscillationof said pusher upon reciprocation of j said carrier. .f l Y v 9. In a device of thecharacterdescribed, a

vertically oscllatable suction block, a carrier,

a pusher pivotally mounted on said carrier, said carrier being shdable to move one end block and to depress the same as the carrier moves it into the path of the suction block. A

10. In a device of the character described,

' an oscillatable suction block, a carrier, a

pusher pivotally mounted thereon, said car-k rier being slidable to move one end of said pusher into and out of the path of said suc-l tion block, a stationary plate having a curved slot and a pin extending from said pusher kinto said slot, lwhereby reciprocation of the carrier eiiects oscillation of the pusher. l1. In a device of the character described, an oscillatable suction block, a carrier, a pair of arms pivotally mounted thereon, abut` ments carried by said arms adjacent one end thereof, said carrier being slidable'to move one pair of ends of said arms into and out of the path of said suction block, a stationary s piate having a curved s'lot,a rod `connecting v the other pair of ends of said arms and arranged in said slot, and means to oscillate said 1 suction block and reciprocate said carrier.

12. In a device of the character described, an oscillatable p1cker,a carrier, a pusher pivotally mounted on said carrier, said carrier Y being slidable to move one end of said pusher into and out or" the path of said picker, means to oscillate said picker and reciprocate said carrier, and means to effect oscillation of said pusher upon reciprocation of said carrier.

13. In a device of the character described, a vertically' oscillatable picker, a carrier, a pusher pivotally mounted on said carrier, said carrier being slidable to move one end of said pusher into and out of the path of said picker, means to oscillate said picker and reciprocate said carrier, and means to elevate the front end of said pusher as it is Withdrawn from the path of the picker and depressvit as it returns into the path of the picker.

In testimony whereof, We have signed our i.

names to this specification.

MONTGOMERY OSBORNE J ON ES. WESLEY P. SHOMAKER; l 

